Team leaders, department heads and project managers all require a certain type of organizational intelligence. They must also have an ability to work well with different personality types, adhere to deadlines and be flexible when the circumstances call for change. Time management is also a necessary skill, both for keeping projects on track and managing staffers.

Project Planning

A good project manager can plan both short and long-term projects using tools such as work flowcharts, financial projections and staff resource allocations, all while keeping the company’s mission and strategic objectives in mind. In this sense, multitasking ability is vital to ensuring all components of a project work in tandem, are prioritized appropriately and managed for both quality and timeliness.

Staff Management

Project management requires the skills, experience and knowledge necessary to assign the correct staff members to tasks on a project. Project team members that complement one another and are able to work in tandem toward common goals are more effective than staffers who have personality issues or are not well versed on the subject area to which they are assigned. Being able to read people and develop effective teams is an essential organizational skill.

Prioritization

The ability to prioritizatize is an important skill for planning, managing and running a project. It is essential not only to deciding which projects take priority over others but also in managing the details of the project once it begins. Critical path steps must be identified to ensure that project functions that are necessary to the completion of later project functions are addressed first.

Patience and Flexibility

Patience and tolerance play important roles in organization and project management. Project elements don't always go according to plan, and being able to take a rational approach to identifying a problem and brainstorming solutions keeps a project moving forward. This often means reassessing goals and objectives, moving resources and deadlines and being flexible enough to make changes when circumstances necessitate.

Decision Making

Being organized and managing projects requires having critical decision-making abilities. Some decision-making must be done on the spot, while other forms require research and contemplation. Being able to assess a situation, identify potential solutions and make a definitive decision saves time, money and manpower. Being indecisive can result in cost overruns, missed deadlines and frustrated project team members.